Sirius Black's Daughter

Chapter Fourteen: The Four Champions

Posted: December 6th, 2020
Major editing: August 3rd, 2021
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Every head in the Great Hall had turned to look at Harry. He looked stunned.
There was no applause.
A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the Hall; some students were standing up to get a better look at Harry as he sat, frozen, in his seat.
Natalia's eyes were wide and she slowly felt herself scooch away from him.
Up at the top table, Professor McGonagall had got to her feet and swept past Ludo Bagman and Professor Karkaroff to whisper urgently to Professor Dumbledore, who bent his ear toward her, frowning slightly. Harry turned to Natalia, Jae, Ron and Hermione; beyond them, Harry saw the long Gryffindor table all watching him, openmouthed.
"I didn't put my name in," Harry said blankly. "You know I didn't."

The four of them stared just as blankly back.
At the top table, Professor Dumbledore had straightened up, nodding to Professor McGonagall.
"Harry Potter!" he called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"
"Go on," Hermione whispered, giving Harry a slight push. Harry got to his feet, trod on the hem of his robes, and stumbled slightly. Harry set off up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. The buzzing grew louder and louder. After what seemed like an hour, Harry was right in front of Dumbledore.

"Well...through the door, Harry," said Dumbledore. He wasn't smiling. Harry moved off along the teachers' table. Hagrid was seated right at the end. He did not wink at Harry, or wave, or give any of his usual signs of greeting. He looked completely astonished and stared at Harry as he passed like everyone else. Harry went through the door out of the Great Hall disappearing from the student's view.
"What the fuck!" yelled Jae loudly, causing others to start to talk loudly.
"What the heck is going on?" said Hermione.
"I don't know," said Natalia, her hair turning grey in confusion.
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The blast of noise that met Harry's ears when the portrait opened almost knocked him backward. Next thing he knew, he was being wrenched inside the common room by about a dozen pairs of hands, and was facing the whole of Gryffindor House, all of whom were screaming, applauding, and whistling.
"You should've told us you'd entered!" bellowed Fred; he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed.
"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" roared George.
"I didn't," Harry said. "I don't know how -"
But Angelina had now swooped down upon him; "Oh if it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor -"
"You'll be able to pay back Diggory for that last Quidditch match, Harry!" shrieked Katie Bell, another of the Gryffindor Chasers.
"We've got food, Harry, come and have some -"
"I'm not hungry, I had enough at the feast -"
But nobody wanted to hear that he wasn't hungry; nobody wanted to hear that he hadn't put his name in the goblet; not one single person seemed to have noticed that he wasn't at all in the mood to celebrate....Lee Jordan had unearthed a Gryffindor banner from somewhere, and he insisted on draping it around Harry like a cloak.

Harry couldn't get away; whenever he tried to sidle over to the staircase up to the dormitories, the crowd around him closed ranks, forcing another butterbeer on him, stuffing crisps and peanuts into his hands....Everyone wanted to know how he had done it, how he had tricked Dumbledore's Age Line and managed to get his name into the goblet....
He saw Natalia sitting on 'her chair' as she calls it, looking into the dying fire with a thinking face on. Her hair is grey.
"I didn't," he said, over and over again, "I don't know how it happened."
Harry badly wants to go over to Natalia but no one is letting him move. But for all the notice anyone took, he might just as well not have answered at all.
"I'm tired!" he bellowed finally, after nearly half an hour. "No, seriously, George - I'm going to bed -"
He wanted more than anything to talk to Natalia and to find Ron and Hermione, to find a bit of sanity, but the other two seemed to not be in the common room.

Insisting that he needed to sleep, and almost flattening the little Creevey brothers as they attempted to waylay him at the foot of the stairs, Harry managed to shake everyone off and climb up to the dormitory as fast as he could.
Harry thinks he'll just talk to Natalia when he talks to his other friends.
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Neville slowly approached Natalia as the common room emptied. Natalia doesn't notice as Neville stood there, trying to get her attention.
"Natalia," said Neville.
She didn't even acknowledge him. It's like she didn't hear him.
Neville slowly reached out and touched her shoulder. She instantly jerked out of her zoned out state.
"You scared me!" said Natalia as her hair slowly faded out back to its normal coal black curls.
"I-I'm sorry!" squeaked Neville. "I-it's just that... I was wondering if you're okay?"
Natalia slowly registered what Neville said and looks back to the fire.
"Yeah. I'm okay," said Natalia. "I'm just thinking."
"Is it about Harry? Or about the Dark Arts lesson?"
asked Neville.
"I think both," said Natalia in a hollow tone.
"If you don't mind me asking," said Neville slowly, "how are you effected by the Curses?"
Natalia got visibly upset at the question.

"I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything. I- I should go." Neville quickly started to walk away.
"It was my mother," said Natalia.
Neville froze and slowly turned around. Natalia was still looking at the dying fire with a face that was unreadable. The dying embers are illuminating her pale face.
"She got killed by Death Eaters. They used all the Curses on her. It hadn't even been a month after my second birthday."
Neville felt his eyes widen. He's never been told anything about Natalia's family. This made him realize that he knows nothing about Natalia's personal life.
"I'm sorry," said Neville quietly.
Natalia took a deep breath in and blew out slowly.
"It's fine. She's dead anyways. You can't bring the dead back the life. It's impossible," said Natalia bitterly.
Natalia got up off the couch and stopped in front of Neville, not meeting him in the eyes.
  "Please... just be grateful that your parents are still alive. Even though they aren't in their right mind."
Neville's eyes widen once more. Natalia walked off silently up to her room, leaving Neville standing there stunned.
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Word count: 1123

Next chapter is called: The Weighing of the Wands

Will be out: December 7th, 2020- December 20th, 2020.

Happy late birthday to Natalia who's birthday was October 7th in the book!